Hammock.



PATENTED JULY 10, 1906.-

W. S. BOWIE.

APPLICATION MMOOK.

FILED SEPT. 28. 1903.

2 BHEETSSHEET 2.

III

jillezfiaii' 0 e 6 a e n 40 w 60-, wAsnmonm, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT entice.

' WILLIAM S. BOWIE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MALAOHI J. OCALLAGHAN, AND ONE-HALF TO HENRY SISKIND,

OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

HANIIVIOCK.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed September 28, 1903. Serial No. 174.839.

To all whmlt z t 7171621 concern- Be it known that I WILLIAM S. BOWIE, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Hammocks, of which the following descrip tion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to hammocks, and

r 0 has for its object to construct a hammock with a suitable horizontally disposed mattressreceiving portion, and a flexible back portion rising from the rear edge of said mattress-receiving portion, which conforms to the back of the user when using the hammock as a seat, and to provide a hammock having ahorizontal mattress-receiving portion and a back and which is adapted to be suspended from and supported by a single hook or other overhead support, with means preferably made adjustable for holding said back at a rearward inclination.

Figure 1 shows in front elevation a hammock embodying this invention. Fig. 2

shows in side elevation the hammock shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are details of the mattress or cushion which may be employed. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the seat and mattress or cushion thereon.

A strip of canvas or other material is cut or formed of suitable shape to present, when properly fashioned, a horizontally-disposed mattress-receiving portion or seat a and a flexible back I), rising trom the rear edge of 3 5 the portion a, said strip being of a width to provide a mattress-receiving portion long enough for the person to lie upon with ease and comfort. At the front edge of the portion a a bar a is secured, which extends the full length of said portion and gives to it a stiffened edge. At the upper edge of the flexible backb a similar bar I) is secured, which extends the full length of said back. T o the middle portion of the bar I) a loop 0 is attached,

as at c, and to said loop a pulley c is connected, around which passes a chain 0 which extends up to and is connected with a ring d, said chain 0 being adjustable as to its length by providing its lower end with a hook c adapted to enga e any one of the links of the chain. To the front bar a at a point near each end thereof a chain 6 is attached as, for

instance, said chain may pass through an eye 6, secured to the barand said chains extend up to and are connected with the ring d. These chains are adjustable as to their length, like the chain 0 A spreader is placed between the front chains 6 e and the back of the hammock, which is herein represented as a pair of bars f, which cross each other at a point substantially midway their len th and which are pivotally connected together, said bars having downwardly-turned rear ends provided with engaging pins f, which en age eyes f on the bar b, and having their forward ends provided with engaging pins f which engage the links of the chains 6 6. By means of this spreader the back is held positively at a rearward inclination and the front chains are. held separated. By moving the forward ends of the spreader into engagement with different links of the chains the rearward inclination of the back may be adjusted.

Believing myself to be the first to provide a spreader or other means which when interposed between the back and the front chains or other suspended flexible supports will serve to hold the back at a rearward inclination, I do not limit my invention to the construction of the spreader nor the means employed for this purpose. The particular form of spreader herein shown, however, is more or less elastic, a result which is due to the inherent elasticity of the bars and the manner that they are connected together, and such elastic form of spreader possesses qualities which are very desirable for use in the hammock herein shown, as it provides for the hammock yielding slightly, but enough to satisfy the requirements.

The ring dis secured to a chain (1, which is attached to any suitable hook or other subport.

An upholstered mattress or cushion is provided for the seat portion a, which extends the full width and length of said seat portion, and said mattress or cushion preferably contains within it, at or near each end, a bar 9 which stiffens the mattress or cushion, so that when the mattress or cushion is placed upon the seat said seat portion will be held in a horizontal plane. The seat portion a is correctly disposed relative to the back I), so that IOO a very comfortable seat is provided, yet said seat portion is primarily designed to receive a mattress and is of adequate dimensions.

The hammock thus described is supported by a single hook or other support, and it is therefore free to swing. A portable support is herein shown for the hammock, adapted to be used indoors, and said support comprises a pair of upright bars m, having forwardlyprojecting upper ends, and cross-bars m at the upper and lower ends of said bars, and intermediate braces m and a pair of chains m are attached to the upper ends of said bars which extend to eyes or hooks m, which are screwed into the wall of a room, the device being placed against the wall of the room when in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A hammock consisting of a strip of flexible material, a horizontal bar at each end thereof, flexible supports attached to said bars for holding them at different elevations, a spreader for said supports, and a flat mattress placed upon said strip adjacent the lowermost bar to provide a flat seat at the lower end of an upright rearwardly-inclined back,

of bars, disposed crosswise and pivotally connected together, having rear engaging ends which engage the upper bar and having forward engaging ends which enga e the front flexible supports, to thereby hoId the back at a rearward inclination and the front flexible supports separated, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM S. BOWIE.

Witnesses:

B. J. NoYEs, H. B. DAVIS. 

